In many telecommunication systems, communications networks are used to exchange messages among several interacting spatially-separated devices. Networks may be classified according to geographic scope, which could be, for example, a metropolitan area, a local area, or a personal area. Such networks would be designated respectively as a wide area network (WAN), metropolitan area network (MAN), local area network (LAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), or personal area network (PAN). Networks also differ according to the switching/routing technique used to interconnect the various network nodes and devices (e.g. circuit switching vs. packet switching), the type of physical media employed for transmission (e.g. wired vs. wireless), and the set of communication protocols used (e.g. Internet protocol suite, SONET (Synchronous Optical Networking), Ethernet, etc.).
Wireless networks are often preferred when the network elements are mobile and thus have dynamic connectivity needs, or if the network architecture is formed in an ad hoc, rather than fixed, topology. Wireless networks employ intangible physical media in an unguided propagation mode using electromagnetic waves in the radio, microwave, infra-red, optical, etc. frequency bands. Wireless networks advantageously facilitate user mobility and rapid field deployment when compared to fixed wired networks.
The devices in a wireless network may each be configured to provide services. For example, a device may include hardware, such as a sensor, that is used to capture data. An application running on the device may then use the captured data to perform an operation. In some cases, the captured data may be useful to other devices in the wireless network. The other devices in the wireless network could include similar hardware so as to capture similar data. Alternatively, the device could provide these services (e.g., the captured data) to the other devices in the wireless network. The device may inform the other devices in the wireless network of the services that the device provides by advertising this information over the wireless network. However, if one or more devices in the wireless network advertise the services that each respective device provides, this may result in increased power consumption by the respective devices and/or increase a number of packet collisions in the wireless network. Thus, improved systems, methods, and devices for communicating in a wireless network are desired.